Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf is set to regain his position after Najam Sethi, who was heading the interim management committee, decided to withdraw from the race.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also the patron-in-chief of the PCB, has nominated Ashraf and Supreme Court lawyer Mustafa Ramday for inclusion in the board of governors. The election is expected to take place soon and Ashraf’s appointment is a formality.
“Salaam everyone! I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB,” Sethi tweeted in the early hours of Tuesday.
Ashraf enjoys the backing of the Pakistan People’s Party, headed by Asif Ali Zardari, a constituent of the ruling coalition.
Sethi was initially appointed for four months in December 2022. Following a further two-month extension, his term was to end on Wednesday.
Ashraf’s ascendancy to the chair will be interesting since he is considered a hardliner when it comes to dealing with the BCCI. He was recently critical of Sethi’s hybrid model for the Asia Cup, which has since been adopted by the Asian Cricket Council.
According to the model, the PCB will host four Asia Cup matches while the rest will be held in Sri Lanka to facilitate India’s participation, who have refused to tour the country. “If India has reservations about playing in Pakistan, they should choose to stay at home while we will complete the event with the other four nations,” Ashraf was recently quoted as saying by the Pakistan media.
The PCB under Sethi has written to the ICC requesting several changes to the World Cup’s draft schedule, sources told The Telegraph.
Maintaining that the India-Pakistan clash in Ahmedabad will depend on government clearance, the PCB has also demanded that their matches at each venue be completed at one go to reduce hectic travelling. Pakistan are scheduled to play in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Calcutta.
